A Blackinnon Christmas
by LoveNeverDies78
Summary: A collection of Sirius/Marlene oneshots written for the Harry Potter Christmas Collection Competition. There will be 31 stories in this collection upon completion. They may not all have to do with Christmas, but the majority of them will take place during the holiday season. COMPLETE
1. White Christmas

**A/N:** I'm back with another Blackinnon holiday themed collection! While I do plan on finishing the Halloween collection I started, it probably won't be until next year, as it's not really relevant right now. Unfortunately, life threw a nasty curve my way before I could finish it. I hope everyone enjoys this collection!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (title): White Christmas

* * *

 **White Christmas**

Sirius lay awake, staring into the darkness and listening. Marlene still seemed to be asleep, much to his relief. He'd been careful not to wake her while he'd been preparing her surprise or when he'd finally tiptoed up the stairs to bed a few hours later.

He marveled at the fact that her breathing was the only sound he could hear. The streets outside were completely silent. It was always this way on Christmas Eve, but it never ceased to amaze him. It was as if the world stood still, just for those few nighttime hours.

He heard the clock downstairs chime six times. Marlene rolled over and put a hand on his chest. "Sirius?" she whispered.

"I'm awake," he replied, trying to sound as sleepy as possible. "I suppose you're ready for presents and breakfast and all that?" He feigned his usual distaste for being awake at such an early hour, but today he really didn't mind. He couldn't wait to see her reaction when she went downstairs.

"You should be used to me waking you up before dawn on Christmas morning by now." She propped herself up on an elbow and looked down at him, her eyes barely visible in the weak moonlight shining into the room. "Did you think just because we aren't at Hogwarts anymore you'd get out of it?"

"I had hoped," he said, trying to suppress a smile.

"Oh, stop being so grumpy," she said, laughing and throwing the blanket over him. He heard her get out of bed, take a few steps, pause, and then sigh. "Should've known," she mumbled.

"What's wrong, love?" He was glad the blanket was still covering his face because he was finding it difficult to keep from smiling now. He had a feeling he knew exactly what was wrong and the solution was waiting for her downstairs.

"It didn't snow," she said. "I was hoping it would. I can't remember a Christmas with no snow." Throwing the blanket off, he saw her still staring out the window, both hands pressed against the glass. She turned away from the window when he stood up. "Ready?"

"Don't suppose I have a choice, do I?" He yawned and stretched.

"Nope." He took her hand and they walked down the stairs together, pausing when they reached the bottom. Marlene stared at the scene before her for a few seconds before turning to him, her mouth agape. "What...how?"

Sirius surveyed his handiwork with a smile. The entire ground floor of their house had been turned into a snowy winter wonderland. He'd filled every room except the kitchen with ankle-deep snow and enchanted all of the windows to make it look like it was snowing outside. He'd even made it look like it was snowing inside as well, snowflakes falling gently from the ceiling and disappearing just before they accumulated on the floor.

"I know this is what you've wanted more than anything else," he finally answered. "A white Christmas. I couldn't make the weather cooperate, so I improvised. What do you think?"

"It's perfect." She wrapped her arms around him. "Is it the right kind of snow for making snowmen?"

"Of course." He kissed her on the top of the head. "I'll even let you beat me in a snowball fight if you want."

She looked up at him, one eyebrow raised. "You'll _let_ me beat you? So you think you could beat me if you weren't holding back?" She laughed when he nodded. "Oh, you're on. Prepare to be taught a lesson in snowball fighting."

He laughed as she ran back up the stairs, presumably to dress in something warmer. Apparently she'd forgotten about presents in her excitement about the snow, but he didn't care. Her reaction to it was the only gift he needed.


	2. Jolly Old Saint Nick

**Prompt:** (dialogue) "The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live."

* * *

 **Jolly Old Saint Nick**

"I need your help." Sirius dropped his Muggle Studies book on the table and sat down across from Marlene. "You know a lot about Muggles since you have Muggle relatives and you're friends with Lily. I need you to explain this Santa Claus person to me."

"Santa Claus? The guy who brings gifts to children every Christmas?" Marlene looked at him over her own book, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, that. I just don't get it. I can't believe anybody would celebrate a holiday where a jolly prowler breaks into your house and leaves gifts." He wrinkled his nose. "Why don't Muggles just exchange gifts the normal way? Why make some creepy guy do it for you?"

"You really don't get it," Marlene said, setting her book down. "Every year, Muggle children write a letter to Santa Claus, a jolly old man who lives at the North Pole, and they ask him to bring them toys for Christmas. He keeps track through the year of all the children who have been good and those who've been bad. Only good children get gifts and those gifts are made by Santa and his elves."

"I see." Sirius tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "I said his name was Santa Claus, not Sirius Black."

"Ooh, she got you good mate," James piped up from his seat by the fire. "You're going to fit in perfectly with us, Mar."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted. I suppose I'll thank you for the compliment, only because Lily told me I had to play nice with you boys."

"So then you'd be on the nice list instead of the naughty list? Damn." Sirius ducked as soon as the words left his mouth, barely missing getting hit by Marlene. "Aw, come on, I was only joking. No need for violence."

"You're disgusting!" Marlene stood from her chair and ran up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.

"But... you didn't finish telling me about Santa!" Sirius yelled after her as James tried not to laugh.


	3. The Perfect Tree

**A/N:** This chapter and the next could kind of go together, although you don't have to read both for it to make sense. One just naturally follows the other in this case.

I really wanted to write about picking out the perfect tree because this was something special in my family when I was a child. We always went together as a family to pick out our Christmas tree, it's something that I miss doing now that I have a fake tree.

* * *

 **Prompt:** (object) Christmas tree

* * *

 **The Perfect Tree**

"Muggles certainly have some odd Christmas traditions," Sirius commented as he trudged through the snow behind Marlene.

"I don't find this odd at all," she replied. "They have to do things a bit differently than we do since they don't have magic. I'm sure a lot of our traditions and ways of doing things would seem odd to them as well."

"You have a point," he conceded. "But did we have to do this on the coldest day ever?"

"Quit being so dramatic. This is supposed to be fun, so stop complaining." She looked at the various pine trees around her as she walked. There were some that were very small, some that were quite tall, and plenty in between. Having grown up in a household with Muggle and wizarding traditions, Marlene had persuaded Sirius to use some Muggle traditions in their own home during the Christmas season. That included going to a large Christmas tree lot and walking through nearly knee-deep snow to find the perfect Christmas tree.

"What are we even looking for? Obviously a tree, but how will we know when we've found the perfect one?"

"We'll just know." Marlene pointed at a tree just ahead of them. "Let's try that one."

Marlene walked in a circle around the tree several times, brushing snow off the branches. "Looks alright," she finally said. She pushed the snow at the base of the tree away with her foot. "The branches at the bottom don't look so good though."

"They look fine to me." Sirius tilted his head as he looked at them, trying to see what she saw.

"They're a bit thin on the bottom. See how full it looks at the top compared to the bottom? We want a tree that looks full all the way down." She looked around. "Most of these trees look like they have some dead branches on them. Let's go up a bit farther."

They moved from tree to tree, inspecting each one for any noticeable flaws that couldn't be covered up by decorations. Sirius seemed to be getting a good idea of how it was done. He was able to point out things that Marlene had missed on some trees.

They had reached the back of the lot when Sirius stopped next to a tree covered in snow. "What about this one?" He brushed the snow off with a gloved hand. "It looks really green. And I don't see any thin spots."

Marlene dug the snow away from the bottom. "It does look good. The trunk looks straight and I don't see any dead branches." She smiled. "And it's just tall enough to fit in the living room. I think this is the one."

"I think you're right," Sirius said. "So, what do we do now that we've found it?"

"We cut it – Oh Merlin, I forgot the saw," Marlene groaned.

"The...saw?"

"It's what Muggles use to cut down trees," Marlene explained. "I guess I'll have to use magic."

"So much for doing everything the Muggle way," he teased.

"Just be quiet and make sure no one's looking, will you?" Marlene said as she took her wand out of her pocket.

* * *

"Please tell me the rest of Christmas won't be so much work," Sirius said later as they looked at their tree, standing tall in a corner of their living room.

"We still have to decorate it," Marlene said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before leaving the room to get the decorations.

"Why did I ever let you talk me into this?" Sirius wondered aloud as he stared after her in disbelief.


	4. Trim The Tree

**A/N:** As previously stated, this chapter could go along with the previous chapter, but they don't need to be read together to make sense.

Decorating the tree was another special time for my family when I was growing up. We always spent an afternoon getting the tree set up and decorated.

* * *

 **Prompt:** (plot theme/action) Decorating the Christmas Tree

* * *

 **Trim The Tree**

Marlene set the last box down in the middle of the living room. "There. That should be it."

" _Should_ be?" Sirius looked around in amazement. "There are six boxes here! How many Christmas decorations do you need?"

"Well, we have a box for the lights and garland, and two of these boxes are ornaments. The other three are decorations that aren't for the tree." Marlene pointed at each box as she listed them.

"Wait, I didn't sign up for anything other than tree decoration," Sirius protested. "Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure I signed up for anything. You used your womanly charms to coerce me into it. Not fair."

"I did nothing of the sort." Marlene looked at him innocently, batting her eyelashes. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"You're doing it again!" Sirius exclaimed. "Ok, fine. Direct me, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Didn't your family celebrate Christmas at all?" Marlene questioned as she opened the first box.

Sirius sneered. "My strait-laced, proudly pureblood parents, celebrate a Muggle holiday? I don't think so." His expression softened again. "I didn't really know much about it until I started Hogwarts, and then it was only the wizarding view of it. This is all new to me. I thought the house-elves did all the decorating, I didn't realize anybody ever did it themselves."

"Some wizards do it that way I'm sure, but we don't have a house-elf. Besides, it's actually quite fun to decorate the tree together." She pulled a neatly coiled string of lights out of the box. "We start with the lights."

"How do those things work anyway?" Sirius asked, looking at the lights curiously.

"They use electricity, just like the rest of the lights in this house," Marlene explained. "We just wrap them around the tree and plug them into the outlet behind it. They make the tree look beautiful." She plugged the lights into the outlet behind the tree and they gave off a warm white glow. "See?"

"They do look nice," Sirius admitted.

"I'll start on this side," Marlene said. "You go to the other side of the tree and I'll hand them off to you, and you hand them to me through the back of the tree." It took a little bit for Sirius to get the hang of it, but they finally got the lights on the tree perfectly.

"And now the garland." Marlene reached into the box again and pulled out a pile of scarlet and gold garland. "In Gryffindor colors, of course," she said, smiling. "This is done the same way as the lights."

Once the garland was on the tree, sparkling in the glow of the lights, Marlene opened both boxes of ornaments. "We'll each pick an ornament and hang it on the tree. Try to spread them out, so the whole tree gets covered. There are plenty here to choose from. Just pick a box."

They worked silently for the first few minutes, each taking turns hanging ornaments on different parts of the tree. "How do you know so much about Christmas anyway?" Sirius finally broke the silence as he hung a silver-colored ball on a lower branch. "I mean, I know you have Muggle ancestry, but most families with mixed blood end up becoming more magical than Muggle after a while."

"My grandparents were both Muggle-born," Marlene said as she looked through her box for the next ornament. "My father grew up knowing all about Muggles, how they lived, and how they celebrated their holidays. He went to a Muggle school until he got his letter, so he was surrounded by it all the time. He wanted to keep all of that knowledge of Muggle life alive in his children, so I grew up the same way. I have so many happy memories of Christmas because of it. It was always such a special time for us. I can't wait for you to see their house when we go there on Christmas day. They go crazier than I do with the decorations, there's barely a spot in the house that isn't decorated." She hung a gold-colored reindeer in the middle of the tree.

"If there were more people like your father in our world, we wouldn't be in the middle of a war," Sirius said. "Raising your children so they know both ways of life is a good way to teach tolerance." He looked down at his box. "That's the last of mine."

"Mine's empty too," Marlene said. "But I have one more ornament." She left the room and returned a few seconds later, a small red box in her hands. "I bought this last week. I thought it would be perfect to add to the tree." She opened the box and took out a silver ornament shaped like a heart, a red ribbon looped through a small hole at the top. A small banner across the top of the heart read "Our First Christmas." A picture of the two of them adorned the middle of the heart, both of them smiling and waving.

"This is the picture that Lily took of us on our last day at Hogwarts," Marlene said, smiling fondly as she looked at it. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Sirius said, putting an arm around her and kissing her forehead. "Let's hang it up together." They each took one side of the ribbon and hung it close to the top of the tree.

"Now we just need to add the star to the top," Marlene said. She returned to the first box and took a glittering gold star out. "Will you do the honors? You're taller than I am." She handed the star to Sirius. He carefully placed it on the top branch before rejoining her in the middle of the living room.

They stared in silence at the tree, each with an arm around the other. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had," Sirius said. "And it's not even Christmas yet."

"I'm glad I could help with that," Marlene said, kissing him. "Merry Christmas, Sirius."

"Merry Christmas, Marlene."


	5. Underneath The Mistletoe

**Prompt:** (object) mistletoe

* * *

 **Underneath The Mistletoe**

"Prongs, you are dead," Sirius muttered as he took down another bundle of mistletoe and threw it across the room into the fire. James had hung dozens of them around the common room in the hopes of catching Lily under one, but so far it hadn't worked. Lily was far smarter than James had thought and was avoiding the common room when he was around. It was Sirius who found himself suffering. Every girl in Gryffindor seemed to want to kiss him. Not that he would mind being kissed, but he certainly didn't want to kiss just anyone.

"Silly thing anyway," he continued. It was a good thing no one was in the common room this late at night. They would've thought him crazy for talking to himself. "Who came up with this silly tradition?"

"What are you doing, Sirius?" He stopped short and looked down. Marlene stood right in front of him. He'd been too busy looking up for mistletoe to notice her.

"I could ask you the same thing," he retorted. "It's a bit late at night to be up, wouldn't you say?" It was no secret that Marlene hated the Marauders. The feeling was mutual, at least for Sirius. She seemed to be just as rule-abiding and boring as Lily, always sticking her nose where it didn't belong.

She shrugged and set the bag she was carrying on the table next to her. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come down and work on my Potions essay. At least I'm not wandering around staring at the ceiling while talking to myself."

Sirius had to admit, the girl was sharp-witted. He really wasn't sure what to say to that, other than to tell the truth. He hated not having a good comeback. "I'm taking down all of James's stupid mistletoe while he's asleep. I'm tired of having to avoid the common room so girls won't kiss me."

"I would've thought you'd like girls trying to kiss you. You seem to be that sort."

"I'm not _that sort._ Just because girls like me doesn't mean anything."

"I suppose you're going to tell me you're waiting for the right girl?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, waiting for his answer.

"Actually, I am," he said defensively. "It may be surprising to you and Evans, but I really do want to find the perfect girl. I'm not going to snog every girl in sight to find her either." He knew Marlene didn't like him, but this was excessive even for her. Why was she interrogating him about his love life?

She looked at him suspiciously for a moment. "I believe you," she said, her tone softening. "I don't know why, but I do. And I'm glad you're not like that."

Sirius didn't know what to say to that. Before he could say anything, Marlene kissed him. A quick kiss, barely felt, but a kiss all the same. He stared at her, completely shocked. There were no words for that.

"Just...helping you out." She was blushing furiously. "You're going to...well, you have to kiss a few girls. No one said that was wrong, or that you had to kiss them all." She pointed at a spot above his head. "Besides, you missed one."

He looked up to see that there was indeed one last bit of mistletoe hanging directly above him. By the time he looked down again, Marlene had grabbed her bag and was halfway up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. She stopped halfway up and turned back to look at him pleadingly. "Promise me you won't tell Lily. Or James."

"Not a word," he said blankly, still in shock. She smiled at him, her face still red, before continuing up the stairs.

He looked up again. "I suppose leaving one won't hurt anything." He smiled and put a hand to his lips. Maybe there was more to Marlene than she let on.


	6. The Smallest Stocking

**Prompt:** (object) stocking

* * *

 **The Smallest Stocking**

The fact that Sirius hadn't noticed yet was driving Marlene crazy. She'd only found out yesterday and had formulated this perfect way of telling him. All he had to do was notice and ask her about it.

He was reading the Daily Prophet, as he usually did late in the evening, when he finally noticed that something was off. Marlene had been trying to read her book for the last half hour, her heart racing, wondering if she would just have to blurt it out and ruin her clever plan. When she found herself reading the same word for the twentieth time, she closed her book and began pacing in front of the fire. It hung on the mantel, blending in with the rest of the Christmas decorations perfectly, but she knew he would see it eventually.

"Are you alright, Mar?" he asked, looking up from his paper. "You've been pacing for the last five minutes."

"Just restless, I suppose," she answered. This seemed to satisfy him and he went back to his reading. This just wouldn't do. She was going to get too excited and tell him if he didn't figure it out. "Would you come here a minute, love?"

He set the paper down and looked at her suspiciously. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing, I just want to ask you something. And yes, you _have_ to come over here for me to ask you."

When he joined her by the fire, she motioned to the mantel. "I'm thinking I'm missing something in my decorations here," she said innocently. "What do you think?"

"That was your big question?" He looked at her as though she were crazy. "You really want my opinion on that?"

"Yes, please. It's important."

He sighed and looked at the mantel, his eyes passing over the object twice before resting on it, his expression changing from mildly irritated to puzzled. "That wasn't there before. Why is that there?" He pointed at the small stocking she had placed between their two bigger ones earlier that day. It looked exactly like theirs, except that it had no name on it. Not yet, anyway.

She smiled. _Finally_. "We won't be needing it this year, but I thought we could get used to seeing it there."

"Why would we need a third stocking? It's just the two-" His eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "Are you-?"

"I am. We're going to have a baby." It seemed so strange to say it out loud. Strange and wonderful at the same time.

"We're going to have a baby?" He sounded dumbstruck. "I can't believe it."

The smile dropped from her face. "Please tell me this isn't a problem." They hadn't really discussed the possibility of starting a family before or after they were married. Marlene had always known that she wanted to be a mother, but she didn't know if Sirius felt the same way about being a father.

"No, of course not." He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "Please believe me when I say that I couldn't be happier about this. I'm just...nervous, I guess. My father wasn't what I would call the fatherly type. I'm not sure if I know how to do this."

Marlene pulled away to look up at him. "I have no doubt that you'll be great. You'll learn a lot along the way. He may have been a bad example of what a good father is, but that means he was a good example of what a bad one is."

He kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You always know just what to say to reassure me." Looking down, he put a hand on her belly. "I'm going to do my best, so just be patient with me, little one."

Looking over at the three stockings again, Marlene smiled. Christmas was going to be so much fun next year.


	7. A Good Book

**Prompt:** (word) fireplace

* * *

 **A Good Book**

Sirius threw his pillow across the room at a loudly snoring James, but it didn't seem to disturb him. Remus and Peter didn't seem to be bothered by the sound, but Sirius had been unable to sleep for hours because of it.

Finally giving up, he got out of bed and left the room, sighing contentedly when silence greeted him. When he was halfway down the stairs, he noticed a glow coming from the common room. It could only be from the fireplace, but it only stayed lit at night as long as there was someone in the room.

 _Who would be up at this hour?_ he thought. _It must be nearly three in the morning by now._ He had his answer when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Laying on her stomach in front of the fireplace was Marlene, a book open in front of her, chin resting on the heels of her palms. She didn't seem to have heard him come in.

"Good book?" he asked, leaning casually against the wall.

"Quite." Her gaze never left the pages.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. He'd expected her to jump, maybe gasp, yell at him for startling her, but to be almost entirely ignored had never entered his mind. He crossed the room and lay on his stomach next to her, reading the first sentence that caught his eye.

"Why does this sound like a sappy love story?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Because it's Jane Austen," she replied, her eyes still moving over the page. "It's not sappy. It's wonderful writing."

"If you say so," he muttered.

She finally looked up from the page. "I'm sure you didn't come down here just to distract me from reading. I'm in the last thirty pages, this is a very dangerous time to be interrupting me."

"Wow," he said, raising an eyebrow again. "Didn't know it was that important. And no, I came down here because James is snoring loudly enough to make a banshee seem quiet. Why are you still down here reading this late? It's way after midnight, you know."

She shrugged. "It's not like we have classes tomorrow. If I'm reading something good, I just keep reading for as long as I can. This is one of my favorites, I could read this from beginning to end in one sitting."

"What's it about?" he asked, genuinely interested. Something about Marlene had always intrigued him, although he couldn't say exactly what it was. He couldn't help wanting to know more about her interests, even if he was sleep deprived. It was rare that they ever spoke to each other.

"If you really want to know," she said, looking at him suspiciously, "I could just read it to you. It's not like I'd have a problem starting over, I already know how it ends and it is a favorite of mine."

"That sounds great." He smiled.

She smiled back. "Well then, I'm always willing to share a good book with anyone who's interested."

The two were still laying there when the sun rose, Marlene reading aloud while Sirius listened intently. It was a moment they always remembered fondly as the beginning of their friendship.


	8. Godparents

**Prompt:** (food/drink) eggnog

* * *

 **Godparents**

"We have some exciting news for you." Lily stood next to the Christmas tree, James by her side with an arm around her shoulders. They both had big smiles on their faces. "We waited to make sure everything was going well first, but now we think it's safe to tell you."

"We're going to have a baby!" James burst out, unable to hold it in any longer.

Marlene and Sirius looked at each other dumbstruck for a moment. But only a moment. Marlene squealed excitedly and jumped up from her seat on the couch, grabbing Lily for a tight hug.

"Congrats mate." Sirius smiled broadly, standing and shaking his best friend's hand before hugging him. "You'll make a great dad."

"I hope so," James replied as Sirius released him. "I'm just not sure the world is prepared for this." They both laughed.

"Between Dad and Uncle Sirius," Marlene commented, sitting on the couch once more, "we're all doomed if it's a boy."

Lily sat next to her, taking her hand. "Actually," she said, looking as if she had another big secret, "James and I have discussed something. We want to give you each a very special gift tonight. We don't want you to just be Aunt Marlene and Uncle Sirius."

"We were hoping," James said, looking from Marlene to Sirius, "that'd you be godparents."

* * *

Sirius and Marlene left the Potters' home a few hours later, Sirius agreeing to accompany Marlene to her own flat as they really didn't live all that far from each other. They walked silently through the lightly falling snow, each lost in their own thoughts about the night's big revelations.

"I can't believe they want us to be godparents." Sirius finally broke the silence.

"Yes, I can't believe they actually want you to have an influence on the poor kid." Marlene laughed as Sirius playfully pushed her away from him.

He stuck his tongue out at her. "So the kid will be a mischievous troublemaker who likes to read all the time. Could be mistaken for the parents' influence as well as ours."

Marlene stopped walking, the smile dropping from her face. "I just hope...we never have to..."

Sirius turned back and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know," he said quietly. "I don't want to raise their child because it means they won't be here to see it grow up. It just wouldn't be right." He looked down at the ground and when he looked back up, he was smiling. "Cheer up, Mar. It's Christmas Eve."

Marlene returned the smile and continued walking. "Are you in a hurry to get home?" she asked, taking his hand. "I've got a bottle of eggnog that's begging to be shared. The adults only kind of eggnog." She wiggled her eyebrows at him and laughed. "Consider it another part of your gift. You get to enjoy a good drink _and_ good company."

Sirius kept himself from looking down at their clasped hands, his mind racing. Marlene was one of his very best friends. This whole godparents business had him thinking about things. The war wasn't getting any nearer to a conclusion and he wasn't getting any younger. Maybe it was time to find what James and Lily had. He might even find that with her. What could it hurt to try?

He squeezed her hand. "I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Christmas Eve."


	9. Fruitcake

**A/N:** This little idea stuck in my head and I loved it. It just seemed so fitting for Snape and Sirius. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (dialogue) "I don't mind fruitcake. It's the only thing during Christmas that I'm not tempted to eat."

* * *

 **Fruitcake**

"We got a gift today." Marlene said it as though this were a common, everyday occurrence. She had been expecting this gift. Lily had told her it was coming, so she would be better prepared for the reaction Sirius was sure to have.

"A bit early for Christmas gifts, isn't it?" Sirius draped his coat over the back of the chair and sat down across from her at the table. "Who's it from?"

"There's a card with it. Read it for yourself."

Marlene watched his face as he read it, his expression changing from interest to puzzlement to disgust. She put her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't see the amused grin that she couldn't hold back.

"Why is that greasy-haired, sniveling little-"

"You obviously didn't read the card." Marlene interrupted the string of names that she could almost recite from memory. "The war is over. We're not at Hogwarts anymore. Can't you let him make amends?"

Sirius dropped the card on the table as though it were something dirty. "Oh sure, do it at Christmas when everyone's supposed to be nice and full of joy." He sighed. "I'll only do it if James does."

"You can think for yourself, you know. You don't need to follow James's lead with everything." It seemed unreal to her that even though they didn't see each other every day, James and Sirius still had such a close connection. There was very little that one would do without the other. They even tended to think alike.

"What's the gift?" Sirius asked, ignoring her. He tore open the package and revealed a brick of...

"Fruitcake?" Sirius poked at it. "It's fruitcake. Fruitcake, of all the things he could send me!"

"I don't mind fruitcake. It's the only thing during Christmas that I'm not tempted to eat." Marlene wasn't hiding her smile anymore. "At least he was nice enough to send something," she pointed out.

"I see you over there, getting amusement out of this." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the fruitcake as though it were the most offensive object ever. " _This_ is what you send someone when you don't like them. It's hate disguised as making amends."

"Nobody said he had to be completely nice right from the start. There are quite a few years of hatred between you. Give him time." She laughed. "Besides, you could just re-gift it back to him."

Sirius stood and put his coat back on. "I'll be back, Mar."

"Where are you going? You just got home."

"I'm going to buy the biggest lump of fruitcake I can find, to show Snivellus - I mean, _Severus_ \- just how much I appreciate his gesture." Marlene hadn't seen a smile so mischievous on his face in quite a long time. Without another word, he was back outside.

"That went well," Marlene said to the empty room.


	10. Animagus

**Prompt:** (creature/being): Reindeer

* * *

 **Animagus**

As Marlene walked hand in hand with Sirius across the grounds of Hogwarts, she tried to process everything he was telling her. He had been wanting to talk to her about this for some time, she knew, but they had all been working so hard to prepare for their final exams that there hadn't been an opportunity for any time to themselves. It was only thanks to this first bright, warm spring day that Sirius had suggested that they take a break and spend some time alone.

Sirius had finally finished speaking and seemed to be waiting for a response from her. But what was she supposed to say to all of that? It was quite a big revelation. "Can you show me?" was the only response she could settle on.

"Sure," he said. "But we have to be farther away from the school. I don't want anyone else to find out." She followed him towards the Forbidden Forest to a hill that sloped down towards the trees. The castle wasn't visible from here, putting them perfectly out of sight.

Sirius glanced around one last time to ensure no one else was watching. "Ok, here goes." Nothing seemed to happen at first and Marlene wondered if this was another of his silly jokes. She was just about to say something when she noticed him changing, crouching on all fours on the ground, black fur covering his body, his face taking on the elongated shape of a dog's muzzle.

"Oh." She blinked a few times, wondering if she was seeing things correctly. "Sirius?" The dog wagged its tail. She knelt down in front of it cautiously, still unsure even though she had seen him transform with her own eyes. She looked into its grey eyes, so full of life and happiness. Just like his. "It really is you. That's brilliant." She patted his head a few times before standing again.

Within seconds, the dog had vanished and the familiar form of her boyfriend stood before her once more, looking at her hesitantly. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you're all crazy for doing this unregistered, but I think your reason for doing it was really nice."

Sirius seemed relieved by her answer. "See, I can be a nice guy." He smiled proudly.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "You're just as egotistical as your reindeer friend."

"Oh Merlin, don't call him that to his face," Sirius warned. "He's a stag and he'll remind you of it if you ever forget. A million times."

Marlene took his hand once more and led him back towards the school. "You'd better tell him not to fall asleep when I'm around or he may wake up with reindeer antlers on his head."

Sirius laughed. "I don't think I'll tell him. I might enjoy seeing that."


	11. Surprise

**A/N:** I felt kind of bad about missing Sirius's birthday this year. I was supposed to write a fic for it, but I had a lot of personal stuff going on then. I figured this fit with the prompt and the collection, so here's my Sirius birthday fic for the year! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (word) celebration

* * *

 **Surprise**

"What's so important that we had to cancel our plans at the last minute?" Sirius asked for the third time. He was still a bit upset that he wasn't going to be able to celebrate his birthday with James, Lily, Remus, Peter, and Marlene. He'd spent every single birthday since his twelfth with James. Missing one seemed wrong.

"I told you, Alastor didn't say," Marlene huffed. "Come on, if we don't get inside soon, they're going to wonder if something happened to us." She tugged on his hand, but he didn't budge. She sighed and turned to him. "What is it now?"

"Is this war going to ruin absolutely everything?" he said quietly. He glared at the door to headquarters, a part of him wishing he'd never joined the Order of the Phoenix, never had to fight in this stupid war. "We're all so busy fighting the Death Eaters that we don't have time to do anything fun. And now my birthday's ruined too."

Marlene squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry this evening isn't turning out how you wanted. I promise I'll make it up to you very soon."

"Alright," he said. "I guess I don't have much choice." He followed Marlene into headquarters, which had been a house once, abandoned and falling apart until Dumbledore got his hands on it. The Order usually met in the dining room, as that was the largest room in the house.

When they reached the end of the hall, Marlene opened the door and stood aside, motioning him forward. "You first."

"Aren't I supposed to be hold the door open for you?" he asked. "I think we've got this relationship a bit backwards."

"It's your birthday, so I'll let you take a break from being a gentleman," she replied. "Come on, we don't have all night."

He stepped into the room and stopped when he saw a light shining to his left. There, at one end of the long table they always gathered around, stood every member of the Order, a cake alight with candles sitting on the table in front of them. Sirius felt like time had frozen. Was he even still breathing? Was this really happening?

"Happy birthday, love." Marlene's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. She smiled up at him. "Sorry I had to make it sound like we weren't doing anything tonight, but it was supposed to be a surprise."

Sirius stood speechless for several moments, looking at the smiling faces of those he counted among his friends now. He remembered his bitter thoughts back at the front door about wishing he had never joined the Order. _No,_ he thought. _No matter what, I should never regret this._

"No one's ever thrown me a surprise party," he said when he was finally able to speak.

"Well, we are now, mate," James said, stepping away from the group and joining Sirius and Marlene. "You have that one to thank for all this." He pointed at Marlene. "She wanted to include everyone. She arranged everything and made sure everyone could make it."

"Lily helped," Marlene added modestly. "And Remus."

"I don't care who planned it or who helped," Sirius said quietly, smiling at them all. "Thank you everyone. This is going to be the best birthday celebration I've ever had."

"Well then, let's get this party started, old man," James teased.

"I'm only nineteen, James, and you're only five months behind me."

"Doesn't matter, you're still an old man."

"Could we argue about being old later?" Marlene cut in. "I didn't make that cake so it could sit there and look pretty." She pushed Sirius toward the cake and glared at James.

"Don't forget to make a wish, Sirius," Alice Longbottom said.

Sirius looked around once more. "I don't know what I could possibly wish for that I don't already have."

As they left later that night, full of cake and carrying several gifts that he had received, Sirius knew that all the years of ignored birthdays with his parents and brother would never be repeated. He'd found a much better family to help him replace the bad memories with good ones. No matter what happened, no matter how much this war took from him, he would always have this night to remember.


	12. The Switch

**Prompt:** (object) poinsettia flower

* * *

 **The Switch**

Sirius poked the big red flower in front of him. "Plants are boring. Especially Muggle ones. They don't do anything. And they're so easy to take care of I could do it in my sleep."

"Says you. Why are we learning about Muggle stuff in Herbology anyway?" James asked. "Seems like I should be getting double marks if I'm doing two lessons at once."

"Then you'd be doing doubly horrible, Mr. Potter," Professor Sprout commented as she walked by the two boys. "Look at your poinsettia, it's nearly dead! We're growing these to decorate the common rooms! They're supposed to go up to the castle in three days! It'll look disgraceful if we have wilted flowers!" She eyed Sirius's plant. "This one, on the other hand, is absolutely gorgeous! Nicely done, Mr. Black!"

"Don't know why it's such a big deal anyway," James grumbled once she'd gone off to inspect someone else's plant. "They're just stupid flowers, they don't do anything."

"...what I'm doing wrong, it looks awful." Sirius heard Marlene speaking to Lily a little farther down the work table. He could just see her from the corner of his eye. "I've grown these before, it's usually a cinch." She frowned. "These are my mum's favorites too, I was going to send it off to her once we got to take them up to the castle."

"Are you even listening to me, Pads?" James elbowed Sirius.

"Hmm, what? Sorry, just lost in thought I guess." Sirius flipped through the pages of his Herbology book, trying to figure out why he'd even been eavesdropping on Marlene McKinnon in the first place, and why what she'd said was bothering him.

"Right." James didn't sound entirely convinced, but he didn't mention it for the rest of the lesson.

Later that night, Sirius waited until his companions were finally asleep before he crept downstairs to the common room and out through the portrait hole. He transformed quickly before Filch came along. His journey out of the castle entrance and down to the greenhouses went smoothly and he transformed again once he was safely inside.

Taking his wand out of his pocket, he muttered, "Lumos," and began scanning the shelves containing the poinsettias they had been working on for the past few weeks. He finally found his, distinguishable by a small tag stuck in the dirt with his name, _S. Black,_ written on it. He took the pot down and carried it with him as he continued to look.

After another minute or so of searching, he found the tag bearing the name _M. McKinnon_ and sighed with relief. It was taking him much longer to do this than he'd anticipated. He switched the pots and the name tags, placed the other pot in the empty space on the shelf, and transformed quickly, running back up to the castle.

"Um, mate, I think you killed it." James looked at Sirius's very wilted poinsettia three days later in Herbology. "It looked so good the other day, what'd you do, feed it poison?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I gave it too much water?"

"Well, Miss McKinnon, yours has made a very spectacular comeback! Ten points to Gryffindor for having the best looking flower in the class! Well done!" Sirius turned to see a beaming Professor Sprout proudly admiring Marlene's poinsettia. Marlene looked completely surprised.

"I don't understand it, it was practically dead the other day," Marlene was saying to Lily. "Nobody had one that looked this nice, except maybe..." She looked over at Sirius, her eyes wide.

Looking away quickly, Sirius poked at the dirt around his pitiful looking flower. _How did she figure it out?_ he wondered. _She didn't. For all she knows, the tags just got switched up by accident, that's all._

Sirius, convinced that he'd pulled it off without anyone else figuring it out, didn't give it another thought until they were heading back up to the castle, their lessons over for the day. A tap on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to find Marlene standing behind him.

"Something I can do for you, McKinnon?" He tried to act normally, talking to her the way he'd talk to Lily, casually and dismissively. _So I did one nice thing for her. It doesn't mean anything. I can be a nice guy sometimes. Besides, she didn't figure it out. She's probably just going to lecture me about some prank I pulled, as usual._

"I just..." She seemed unusually shy and speechless. "Why?"

"Why what?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Could you maybe start making some sense?"

"Why did you switch our pots?" she finally asked. "I know that was your flower that had my name tag in it. I want to know why you did it. What could possibly be in it for you?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not trying to charm me into snogging you, are you?"

"Merlin, no," Sirius said disgustedly. "Not that I would have a problem if you _did_ want to snog..."

"Sirius..."

"That's not why I did it." He found himself unable to look her in the eye, so instead looked down at his shoes. "I heard you say you wanted to send it off to your mum and you sounded disappointed that you wouldn't be able to, so I switched them."

His confession was met with silence. He was just about to look up again when he felt her fingers under his chin, pushing it up so their eyes met. "There is a nice guy in there somewhere," she said, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced it for myself." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I'll never forget this." With that, she ran to catch up to Lily.

Sirius put a hand to the spot she'd kissed. "Neither will I."


	13. Procrastination

**Prompt:** (dialogue) "There are seventeen shopping days before Christmas. So, there are sixteen days before we begin shopping."

* * *

 **Procrastination**

"Sirius?"

"Yes darling?" Sirius looked up from his plate.

"I've been meaning to ask you something. You said you'd take care of James and Lily's gift this year, but I haven't seen it under the tree yet. Have you even got it yet?"

Sirius turned in his chair to look at the calendar behind him. "There are seventeen shopping days before Christmas. So, there are sixteen days before we begin shopping." He turned back to his food.

"Excuse me?" Marlene looked at him incredulously. " _We?_ No no no, _I've_ done all my shopping. You're crazy if you think I'd wait until the last minute to get everything for Christmas."

"Why not?" he asked. "Have you seen the shops lately? They're insanely busy right now. I'd rather wait until everyone's finished their shopping before I do mine."

"You and everyone else," Marlene said, laughing. "I have a lot to teach you about shopping during the holidays." She stood and took her plate to the sink, laughing again as she did so. "Christmas Eve is the worst time to go shopping. You'd be surprised how many people wait until the last minute to get everything done."

"Don't worry about it," Sirius said dismissively as he joined her, setting his plate in the sink. "I've got a plan." He kissed her on the cheek before leaving the room.

"Making Peter do it for you doesn't count as a solution!" she shouted after him.


	14. Christmas Spirit

**A/N:** Just a little warning, this is really really fluffy. Like, I almost made myself sick from the fluffiness when I read through it again. But, I liked the idea, so I'm ok with how it turned out. Fluff isn't bad from time to time. Hopefully you enjoy!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (word) festive

* * *

 **Christmas Spirit**

Sirius looked around at the newly decorated common room. Marlene had received a box of decorations from her mum that morning and had immediately set to putting them up. There were wreaths on every wall, stockings hung above the fireplace, strings of garland wrapped around the railings leading up to the dormitories and draped around the portrait hole, and sprigs of holly and mistletoe hanging here and there.

"It looks great, darling," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Very festive."

"I'm glad you like it," she said, smiling up at him. Her gaze drifted to a spot above his head. "You know where you're standing, right?" Her eyes met his once more, sparkling in the light of the fire.

He didn't have to look up to know what was there. "I find myself under the mistletoe with the most beautiful girl in Hogwarts in my arms. What a terrible situation," he said sarcastically.

"I just ate," James chimed in. "I'd rather not see what my food looks like when it's partially digested, thanks."

"You know," Marlene said, pulling away from Sirius and kneeling in front of the box the decorations had come in, "I asked my mum for a very special decoration. It's just for you, James. Would you like to see it?"

James looked at her warily before approaching her. "Um, sure?" He looked to Sirius for some help. Sirius only shrugged, trying to keep a straight face. He'd caught a glimpse of what was in the box.

Marlene stood and placed felt reindeer antlers on James's head, the tiny gold bells attached to them tinkling. "Perfect," she said, smiling mischievously. James stared at her in shock. Sirius had the feeling that he hadn't expected that from Marlene.

Sirius grabbed her hand, still trying not to laugh. "We'd best run before he tries to kill you." He led her quickly out of the portrait hole, the antlers flying out at them just before the portrait swung closed. They laughed all the way down to the Great Hall, stopping just outside the entrance.

"Did you see his face?" Marlene said when she'd caught her breath again. "It was priceless!"

"He's going to get you back for that you know," Sirius said. "I told you he didn't like to be called a reindeer."

"I know, that's why I did it. That's what he gets for making comments like that. He obviously doesn't realize how sugary sweet he is when Lily's around."

"Oh yes, we were in the middle of something before he interrupted us," Sirius said. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm having trouble remembering though..."

"Well then, let me remind you." Marlene stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"I think I'm going to enjoy Christmas with you around," he said when she pulled away. "Especially if there's mistletoe involved."


	15. The Importance of Friendship

**Prompt:** (word) Family

* * *

 **The Importance of Friendship**

Marlene hugged Lily one last time. "I will see you next month, won't I?"

"Of course," Lily replied excitedly, pulling away. "Mum and Dad already told me I could visit my friends if I wanted to this summer. I'll write to let you know when I can stay."

Marlene waved goodbye as Lily ran to meet her parents. It was hard to believe that another year at Hogwarts had come and gone. She would be in her third year at the start of September. It was all going so quickly.

"Ready to go, Mar?" Marlene turned to see her father approaching her. "Your mum and sisters are at home waiting. They decided to make you a nice big meal to welcome you home."

Marlene smiled up at him. "Sure Dad, let's go." She'd just reached down to grab the bag she'd set on the ground when she heard raised voices coming from farther down the platform. She looked up again to see what was going on.

"How dare you ask me that!" a rather severe looking woman shrieked. "You may not visit that Potter boy! I'd rather you weren't friends with him at all, his family is disgraceful!"

"Why, because they're not one of the 'sacred twenty eight' that you obsess over?" Marlene recognized Sirius Black, one of the biggest pranksters in the school. She'd never really seen him angry before. He always seemed so laidback. "Who cares? Who cares what you think? Only five more years at Hogwarts and then I'll be gone. I'll never have to see you again."

Marlene flinched when Sirius's mother slapped him hard across the face. "You don't speak to me that way! I am your mother and a Black! I command respect!" She grabbed his arm and tried to drag him away, but he broke free and ran down the platform, past Marlene and her father. The few people left on the platform watched silently, apparently as shocked as Marlene by what had just happened.

"Just get his things, Kreacher," the woman commanded her house-elf coldly. "He knows where his home is, he'll find his way there." With that, she was gone.

Marlene stood frozen for a moment, trying to take it all in. She found Sirius and his group of friends to be annoying and troublesome, but she hadn't realized that Sirius was hiding such a horrible family life behind all of the laughter and pranks. She turned back to her father. "Dad, I -"

"Go on then," he replied, giving her a knowing look. "I'll wait for you."

Marlene walked quickly down the platform, looking for Sirius. She finally found him at the other end, sitting on a bench, staring down at his fists clenched in his lap. She quietly sat next to him, unsure of how to approach him when he was in such a mood.

He looked up at her after a minute or so, some of the anger in eyes dying away when he saw her. "What do you want, McKinnon?" He was trying to sound casual, but Marlene could hear the slight tremble in his voice.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright," she said quietly.

"So, you saw all that then?" He looked back down at his fists.

"I did," she admitted. "I'm sorry, Sirius, I didn't realize-"

"I don't want your pity!" he protested, looking at her again. "I don't want anyone's pity. I just want everyone to understand that I'm not like my family. I may be a Black, but I don't think so highly of myself as to believe that I'm better than halfbloods and Muggleborns."

"You've never given me a reason to believe that," she said. "You may be an annoying, conceited troublemaker, but you're most definitely not a pureblood elitist. Why would you have the friends you do if you were?"

Sirius smiled at her. "Thanks for caring, even if I am conceited and annoying." Marlene cringed internally. When he put it like that, it sounded quite mean. "I'd better get going. The longer it takes me to get home, the worse the lecture will be." He stood and turned to leave, but Marlene grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Just...well, take care of yourself, will you? Hogwarts wouldn't be the same if I wasn't rolling my eyes everyday at your pranks."

He laughed. "No, but your life would be much more peaceful, I'm sure." His expression sobered. "I'd best be going. I'll see you in a few months then, Marlene."

She watched him as he walked away, until he was out of sight. _He may be an annoying git, but deep down, I think he's really a nice guy._ She sat there for so long, thinking about all that she had just learned, that her father had to come find her.

"Everything alright?" he asked as he sat next to her.

"Yeah," she said, putting an arm around him and leaning into him. "I just wish everyone had a family like mine. A family that actually loved them and wanted them to be happy."

"That's where having a good group of friends comes in handy." He put an arm around her as well. "Sometimes we have to choose our family if we aren't fortunate enough to be born into an ideal one. I hope he has friends who care as much as you do."

Marlene smiled fondly as she thought about Sirius's group of friends. They might all seem obnoxious to her and Lily, but they were Sirius's family now. She thought she could put up with their ridiculousness if he was happy.

* * *

It wasn't until she was nearly asleep that night that it occurred to her: Sirius had called her Marlene instead of McKinnon. The realization made her smile as she drifted off to sleep.


	16. War Is Over

**A/N:** The title of this was taken from John Lennon's Christmas song, Happy Christmas (War Is Over). Not only did I feel it was very fitting for what I had in mind and was written around the same time period as the first wizarding war, but it's also a bit of a nod to my dad. He was a fan of John Lennon's music, so I thought I'd dedicate this to him. Christmas this year just wasn't the same without him, but I wanted to write something happy, so here it is. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (word) rejoice

* * *

 **War Is Over**

As Sirius stood by his daughter's bed, watching her sleep, he couldn't help but think how fortunate she was. Now that the war was over, she could live a normal life. She wouldn't remember the fear they had all been living with since before her birth. Voldemort and his Death Eaters would just be names on a page in her History of Magic books, people that she might write essays about. She would never lie awake at night, wondering if this was the night that they would find her and kill her. She would never dread reading the paper, hoping that none of friends were listed among the dead or missing.

Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything alright?" Marlene whispered. "You said you were just checking on her, but that was ten minutes ago."

He nodded and motioned her to follow him out of the room. Closing the door quietly behind them, they went into the living room, which was decorated for the Christmas season. Sirius saw that Marlene had finished wrapping the last of Charlotte's gifts while he was gone. At just over two years old, this would be the first proper Christmas for the girl. She'd been looking forward to the holiday for weeks now. She had certainly inherited her mother's Christmas spirit.

"Didn't mean to worry you," he said as he sat on the couch. "Seeing her sleeping so peacefully just made me think about how much we have to rejoice over this year and how lucky she is to be young enough to forget about the war."

Marlene sat next to him and held his hand in her own. "We really do have a lot to be thankful for, don't we?" She sighed contentedly. "What makes me the happiest is the fact that Charlotte will grow up happy and safe. She won't need to fight for her life."

"I'm thankful we all lived long enough to see the end of the war. I thought it was never going to end." He squeezed her hand. "Happy Christmas, Marlene. The war is over. That's the greatest gift any of us could have asked for this year."

Marlene nodded in agreement. "Happy Christmas, Sirius."


	17. Something New

**Prompt:** (weather) Frosty/Icy

* * *

 **Something New**

It was a cold morning in late November when the first frost covered the grounds at Hogwarts. The grass, the trees, and even the windows were covered in a thick white frost. Most of the students paid it no mind, but Marlene was taking advantage of it.

She loved drawing in the frost on windows. It was just something she'd done as a kid that she hadn't quite left behind in her childhood. She was in the middle of drawing a snowflake on a window in one of the corridors when she saw someone stop next to her.

"Sirius? What are you doing?" He was standing at the window next to hers, tilting his head and considering it carefully.

"I've just been watching you," he said, "and thought it looked like fun."

"Oh." Marlene thought about this as Sirius began drawing something. "You've never seemed like someone who would enjoy doing something so simple."

"You still have a lot to learn about me, Mar," he said, concentrating on his drawing. "I'm always willing to try something new."

Marlene couldn't think of a response to that so instead turned back to her window. Sirius hadn't ceased to amaze her since she and Lily had joined the group of friends that used to irritate them on a daily basis. While all four boys had been very welcoming, Sirius seemed to want to spend the most time with her. He'd been doing things like this for weeks, observing her and eventually joining in on whatever it was that she was doing at the time. It seemed a bit strange to her, but perhaps this was his way of learning more about her without asking a thousand questions.

Marlene finished her drawing and picked up the bookbag resting at her feet. "Class starts in ten minutes," she commented. "We'd better get going."

Sirius turned away from the window and they walked silently through the corridors to the Transfiguration classroom. When they were just outside the door, Sirius stopped her before she could enter.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend," he asked. She noticed he was fidgeting with the strap of his bag. "I wasn't sure if you planned on going, but I thought it might be fun to go together."

 _Is he actually nervous?_ Sirius Black, mischief maker and charmer of every girl in the school, was nervous about asking her to Hogsmeade. The thought made Marlene smile.

"I wasn't planning on going, no," she began, "but if you want me to go with you, then I'd be happy to go."

His face lit up at her positive answer. "Really? I-I mean, that's great. I'm looking forward to it." He motioned her to enter the classroom before him and they went their separate ways, Sirius sitting with his friends in the back of the classroom and Marlene with hers in the front.

Marlene found it difficult to focus on Professor McGonagall's lesson that day. She found her thoughts drifting quite often to Saturday and the day in Hogsmeade with Sirius. She was looking forward to it as well, more than she had expected.


	18. Don't Be A Scrooge

**Prompt:** (word) Scrooge

* * *

 **Don't Be A Scrooge**

Sirius stared wide-eyed at the Great Hall, which had looked completely normal last night at dinner. Now he would have to look at pine trees covered in gleaming candles, ribbons, and all sorts of strange looking ornaments while he ate breakfast.

"Christmas is weird," he commented to James. "All this decoration for the entire month just so you can give and receive gifts on one day?"

"Oh, but it's worth it," James said as he followed Sirius to the Gryffindor table. "Just wait, you'll have lots of fun with it. I still can't believe your family doesn't celebrate Christmas."

"If you ever have the displeasure of meeting my parents, you'll understand why." Sirius wrinkled his nose. "But really, this is just a but overdoing things."

"Oh Sirius, don't be such a scrooge." Marlene smiled at Sirius as she passed him. "I think it looks beautiful." She hurried the rest of the way to the Gryffindor table and sat with a group of their fellow first years, chattering excitedly with them about the decorations.

" 'Don't be a scrooge?' What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius looked to James for an answer as they sat at the table. "What's a scrooge?"

James laughed. "Believe me when I say you wouldn't like the answer."


	19. Confrontation

**Prompt:** (dialogue) "Haven't you heard of peace on earth and goodwill towards men?"/"No."

* * *

 **Confrontation**

Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter were sitting together at the Gryffindor table at breakfast, quietly planning their next full moon adventure, when Marlene stormed up to them.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" She glared directly at Sirius, hands on her hips. "Lily's been worried sick about Severus lately because you and Potter won't leave him alone, and then you pull this!"

James, Remus, and Peter all looked at in each other in confusion. Sirius alone had an amused smile on his face. "Poor Snivellus can't take a joke," he said casually. "It's not my fault he chose to sit in the snow and read. It's also not my fault that he made such a good target for my snowball throwing practice."

"What gives, mate?" James asked, looking mildly hurt. "When was this and why wasn't I invited?"

Sirius shrugged. "Yesterday. I was bored. You were showing off to some girl or other and these two were behaving for once - I'm ashamed, by the way," he said, eyeing Remus and Peter with mock disapproval.

"Shut up!" Marlene screeched, garnering the attention of everyone nearby. "You're so arrogant and conceited you can't even see how much you're hurting everyone around you! Why can't you just leave him alone?"

"Because he just makes it so easy," Sirius replied. "I can't even begin to be nice to such a greasy little git."

"It's almost Christmas! Haven't you heard of peace on earth and goodwill towards men?" Marlene was desperately trying to sway Sirius's opinion now.

"No." Sirius yawned and turned back to the sausages on his plate. "If we're done here, I'd like to finish my breakfast."

Marlene glared at him, seemingly considering how much trouble she might get in if she hexed him in the middle of the Great Hall, then turned on her heel and stomped out.

Sirius shook his head and took a bite of sausage. "Girls. Can't please them no matter what you do."


	20. Wrapped Up

**Prompt:** (color) Gold

* * *

 **Wrapped Up**

"What is it?" Marlene picked up the package that Sirius had placed under the tree only moments before, carefully shaking it.

"I'll give you three hints," Sirius said, taking it from her, careful not to rip the gold-colored paper it was wrapped in. "It's in a box, it's for you, and it's from me. Satisfied?"

"Nope." She stuck her tongue out at him and took it back, squeezing it gently between her hands. "What's in the box?"

"You're more persistent than I am," he commented. He took the box once more and placed it back under the tree, pushing it farther back than the rest of the gifts before pulling her close against him. "Keep your hands off it. Don't look at it. Don't think about looking at it. In fact, don't think about it at all." His tone and expression were all seriousness.

She smiled seductively. "I guess I'll just have to persuade you to tell me what it is then." She lightly kissed his neck, eliciting a contented sigh from him.

"Not fair," he protested weakly as her lips trailed up his neck. "I won't be coerced."

Her lips met his in a long slow kiss. "We'll see about that," she purred in his ear. Taking him by the hand, she led him out of the room.


	21. Lazy Day

**Prompt:** (weather) Blustery Winds

* * *

 **Lazy Day**

Sirius felt the bed shift as Marlene rolled over, cuddling up as close to him as she could. He smiled when he felt the small bump of her belly press against him. It still amazed him that he would be a father in just a few short months. He'd only dreamed about what a happy family must be like when he was a child. Soon, he was going to experience it for himself.

He felt Marlene shiver as the wind whistled outside and he pulled the blankets more tightly around them both. He put one arm around her and the other on her side, running his thumb over the bulge of her stomach. "Is that better?" he asked.

"Much," she replied sleepily. "The sound of that wind alone makes me want to shiver. I'm tired of this rainy, blustery weather already. I don't even want to get out of bed in a few hours."

An idea formed in Sirius's mind as she spoke. "Do you have anywhere to go today?" he asked.

"No," she answered after some thought. "Not as far as I know. Why?"

"You could just lay in bed all day," he suggested. "You wouldn't have to leave this nice, warm bed. I could bring you food. It'll be fun."

Marlene propped herself up on one elbow, staring down at him in the darkness. "You'd really let me just lay in bed all day?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "You deserve it, don't you?" He reached over and laid his hand on her stomach. "Pretty soon, you won't have opportunities like this to just be lazy all day. Enjoy it while you still can."

Marlene smiled and blinked back tears. She laid her hand over his. "We're both lucky to have you. I know you'll take care of me and this baby, no matter what." She snuggled up to him again, burrowing under the blankets so only her head was visible. "I love you."

"And I love you. Both of you." As he drifted off to sleep again, Sirius planned ways to pamper his wife.


	22. Home Alone

**A/N:** Firstly, I pictured this in my mind as a Muggle!AU, and so it is.

Secondly, as much as I love writing Blackinnon as a couple, I thoroughly enjoy writing them as best friends. I had so much fun writing this once I got the idea properly formed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

* * *

 **Prompt:** (story title) Home Alone

* * *

 **Home Alone**

A loud knock on her front door brought Marlene back to the present. She'd been thinking about her stupid ex-boyfriend again, wondering if she'd made the right choice. _Will I ever really know? Maybe I should call him back, tell him I've reconsidered..._

The knock came again, more insistent this time. She pushed her untouched food to the middle of the table and stood from her seat. "I'm coming, stop already," she called as she reached the entrance. Irritated at being ripped from her solitude, she pulled the door open roughly. "What are you doing here?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, sounding much harsher than she'd intended.

Sirius stared back at her, one eyebrow raised. "Why hello to you too, McKinnon. Just thought I'd come find out why you and what's-his-name aren't at my place for the New Year's Eve party." He looked past her shoulder into the house. "Where is he, anyway? I figured he'd be here."

"I don't really care where he is," she spat. "I decided I didn't want to move in with him after only knowing him for four months, so he decided to dump me." She glared down at her feet, blinking back tears. She may have only known him for a short time, but she'd enjoyed being with him. Being thrown away so casually stung badly.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I never liked the little jerk anyway," Sirius said after a moment's silence. "He didn't suit you."

"Oh really?" It was Marlene's turn to raise an eyebrow, her heartbreak forgotten. "And just who would suit me?"

Sirius leaned casually against the door frame. "I was thinking someone stunningly handsome, with black hair, grey eyes, and the ability to charm his way out of trouble. Oh, and a badass motorbike."

Marlene laughed and punched him playfully on the arm. "If this is your way of asking me on a date, Sirius, then my answer is no."

"I'll get that date one of these days, I promise you." He straightened and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "So, do you want to mope around here all night feeling sorry for your beautiful, single self -"

"Sirius," Marlene said warningly.

"-Or do you want to come hang out at my place with the usual group? You know how much fun we have."

The pleading look in his eyes left her with no choice. "Oh fine. But no trying to kiss me at midnight." She pointed a finger sternly at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He smiled mischievously. "Dress warm, I drove the motorbike over."

Marlene shook her head as she pulled on her warmest boots, sitting down to lace them. "Why would you have that thing out on December 31st? It's not even warm enough for it."

"I feel bad, leaving it locked up in the garage all winter. It gets lonely."

She stifled a laugh as she grabbed her coat out of the closet and shrugged it on over her sweater. She took her keys from their hook behind the door and pocketed them, stepped out into the cool night air, and locked the door behind her. "Maybe you should be dating that thing. You seem to love it so much."

"Oh, ha ha, very funny." He stuck his tongue out at her as he got onto the bike. "Be nice or I'll make you walk all the way to my place."

"Not very threatening when I could just go back in the house." She pulled on the gloves and hat she always kept in her coat pocket and got on behind him, wrapping her arms around him as she did every time she rode with him. "Thanks, by the way," she added soberly. "For not letting me sit at home alone tonight."

"Anything for you, Mar." He started the bike and the engine roared to life.

Marlene smiled as they sped through the night, hugging Sirius tightly. _Forget stupid exes. As long as I have him, my craziest, most loyal friend in the whole world, I don't have anything to be unhappy about._


	23. Never Doubt It

**Prompt:** (color) Snow White

* * *

 **Never Doubt It**

Marlene looked over her reflection in the full-length mirror. She smoothed down the front of her snow white dress nervously and willed away the butterflies in her stomach. She had spent months planning every detail of this day, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something would go horribly wrong.

She heard the door open and saw Lily's reflection entering the room and standing next to her. "Ready?" Lily asked.

Marlene clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking. "I'm so nervous I can barely think straight," she said, unable to hide the tremble in her voice.

"What do you have to be nervous about?" Lily asked.

"Where do I start?" Marlene said. "I'm afraid I forgot to do something, I'm afraid I look terrible in this dress, and I'm worried that I'll get all the way down that aisle and he'll change his mind." She took a deep, shaky breath.

"Let me reassure you," Lily said. "You didn't forget anything. You look absolutely stunning in that dress. And as far as Sirius goes, he's not going to change his mind."

"How do you know that for sure?" Marlene asked. "I've never figured out why he chose me over every other woman he's ever known. What's so special about me anyway?"

"I can't say why he chose you, only he can tell you that." Lily put her hands on Marlene's shoulders and turned her so they were facing each other. "What I can tell you is what I see. I see the way he looks at you, the way he tries to make you laugh or smile when you're sad, the way he does whatever he can to make you happy everyday. Unless he's ever given you a reason to doubt his love for you, I think it's safe to say that he's not changing his mind." Lily smiled fondly at her friend. "He's out there waiting for you right now."

Marlene nodded and smiled, the fluttering in her stomach calming down some. "Then I shouldn't keep him waiting."

* * *

When Marlene looked into Sirius's eyes as they pledged their lives to each other, she saw how right Lily was and how wrong she herself had been to doubt how much he loved her.


	24. Shades of Red

**A/N:** I got the idea for this from a conversation between my husband and myself several years ago. When I started painting rooms when we first moved into our house, he told me if I wanted his input, to not tell him weird color names. To him, green is green, red is red, etc. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

* * *

 **Prompts:** (color) Venetian Red & (color) Maroon

* * *

 **Shades of Red**

Marlene shuffled through the color cards spread out on the coffee table in front of her. Redecorating the house was all well and good, but with so many different color possibilities, how was she ever going to choose?

"Still trying to figure that all out?" Sirius peeked his head around the doorway.

"Mhm. Want to help?" She looked over her shoulder at him as he stepped into the room.

"I can try," he said, sitting next to her. "What can I do?"

"Well, I was thinking of doing red in the bedroom." She picked up three of the cards and fanned them out in her hand. "I like this venetian red, but I also like carmine. Maroon's pretty nice, too. What do you think?"

Sirius just shook his head. "I don't speak the same weird language you are right now. In my vocabulary, there is only red." He pointed at the cards. "The one in the middle is bright red. That one's dark red, and that's darker red."

Marlene laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so weird. I love you."


	25. Distractions

**Prompt:** (plot theme/action) Skating at an ice rink/frozen lake

* * *

 **Distractions**

Sirius darted quickly behind a tree, peeking around it cautiously. He was fairly sure he'd lost James, but he picked up a handful of snow anyway, forming it into a ball. He heard James calling him. He sounded close, but still far enough for Sirius to feel safe in his hiding spot.

Looking around him as he set to making a pile of snowballs, he saw that he was quite close to the lake. Covered in a thick sheet of ice, it was barely distinguishable from the snow-covered landscape surrounding it. He was surprised to see it empty. Students had been coming out in large groups to skate ever since the lake had fully frozen.

He had just scooped up another handful of snow when he noticed that there was someone on the ice. A girl, although he couldn't tell who. She moved so gracefully across the surface of the ice, making neat figure-eights and circles around the lake. Her light brown hair lay loose over her shoulders, fanning out around her whenever she twirled around.

Sirius stood gaping at her, his snowball war forgotten. He had never seen anyone skate so beautifully. She slipped and fell only once, but was back on her feet quickly, unharmed. She didn't seem to notice him at all, but instead appeared to be lost in her own world.

Entranced as he was, Sirius nearly fell over when a snowball hit the back of his head. He collected himself quickly, shouting after James as he chased him away from the lake.

* * *

Marlene stopped and looked up when she heard someone yelling, only to see two figures running towards the castle, occasionally stopping to throw snow at each other. Certain that it had something to do with James and Sirius, the two biggest troublemakers in the school, she watched them until she was sure they weren't going to intrude on her peaceful afternoon. "Boys," she muttered to herself, shaking her head before setting off across the ice once more.


	26. A Tree For All Seasons

**Prompt:** (object) tinsel

* * *

 **A Tree For All Seasons**

Marlene picked half-heartedly at the tinsel left on the tree. Sirius knew that she hated taking down all the holiday decorations. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she always seemed a bit sad for a few days once everything was packed up for the year.

"You know," he said, "I think I remember you telling me last year that Muggles who have artificial trees sometimes keep them up all year round and just decorate them for different holidays and seasons."

Marlene paused in her task, looking over at him curiously. "I think I remember you saying that was a silly idea," she replied.

Sirius shrugged. "That was our first Christmas together. I didn't realize then how unhappy it makes you feel to tear everything down after Christmas is over."

"I get over it after a few days. It's not like I mope around for weeks on end." She spoke casually, but Sirius could see the glimmer of hope in her eyes. _So she does want to do it,_ he thought. _I suppose it wouldn't so bad._

"Besides," she continued, "that means we'd have to get a tree. And I'd still want a real one at Christmas." She turned back to the tree and started picking tinsel off again, apparently assuming that was the end of it.

"So?" Sirius's words stopped her and she turned to face him. "That just means you can have two trees to decorate at Christmas. I don't see how that would be so bad."

Marlene looked at him hopefully. "Are you really going to let me do this?" She smiled when he nodded his agreement and rewarded him with a kiss. "You're the best, you know that?"

"I just want you to be happy." Marlene spent the rest of the afternoon packing decorations away, a smile on her face. Sirius couldn't help but smile as well, knowing that he'd allowed something normally so sad for her to be something better.


	27. Snow Globe Memories

**A/N:** I really enjoyed writing this one. I went through several ideas before I landed on this one and fell in love with it. I love the idea of Sirius having a family and being happy. Unhappy endings make me feel incomplete, which is why I very rarely write them. Perhaps one day I'll introduce all of you to the rest of Sirius's family (if I can write a decent fic in which to feature them!).

* * *

 **Prompts:** (plot theme/action) Giving/Receiving gifts

 **Gringotts Wizarding Prompt Bank:** Christmas Themed Prompts:Snow Globe

* * *

 **Snow Globe Memories**

Marlene carefully placed her newest snow globe next to the others on the shelf. Sirius had bought every single one of them for her over the last few years, whenever something life-changing had occurred. Looking at them always made her smile and remember the occasion that was attached to each one.

There was the very first one, the blue butterfly that had been enchanted to flutter freely around the globe among a showering of tiny flower petals. He'd given it to her in their fifth year. They'd been friends at that point for about three years, ever since Sirius had defended her from some Slytherins who'd been calling her nasty names in the corridors between classes one day. He'd escorted her to all of her classes after that, and they'd soon become close friends. The gift had been given at the start of the school year, just because he'd seen it over the summer and remembered her love of butterflies. She'd thanked him for his gift with a kiss, which he'd gladly accepted. That was the day they first became a couple.

The second one had come at the end of their seventh year. This one had been made especially for her. It was a miniature replica of Hogwarts, complete with Hagrid's hut, the lake, and the Forbidden Forest. It had been enchanted to reflect the current weather, much like the ceiling of the Great Hall. The note attached had read, _So you'll always remember where we began._

There was the tiny flower garden, butterflies floating gracefully from flower to flower, given to her on the day they were married, nearly six months after leaving Hogwarts. The maple tree that changed with the seasons had been to celebrate the beginning of her training to become a Healer. That had been the last to be added to the collection, less than a year ago.

The newest addition was of a winter landscape, the night sky aglow with the colors of the aurora borealis. Marlene watched as the colors changed and undulated within the globe, greens and blues, reds and oranges reflecting on the snowy arctic landscape.

Marlene turned to her husband and smiled. He stood next to her, cradling their newborn daughter, whom they had named Charlotte Aurora Black, in his arms. "It's beautiful, Sirius. I'll think of her every time I look at it."

Sirius smiled down at the child, sleeping peacefully in his arms. "So will I." He kissed Marlene on the cheek and looked at the miniature display of the northern lights, knowing that snow globes would always remind him of his wife and the precious memories they'd made together.


	28. What's In A Name

**Prompt:** (word) Tradition

* * *

 **What's In A Name**

When it came to the long-held traditions of the Black family, Sirius seemed to make it his goal to break them all. He was the first in many generations to be sorted into Gryffindor. He befriended people who his parents would consider to be blood traitors and impure. Marrying Marlene, who was definitely not a pureblood, the summer after they left Hogwarts had guaranteed that he would never have anything to do with his family again.

When they'd started having children, Sirius was even more determined to break one more tradition. Having been forced to see the tapestry outlining the Black family tree every day of his childhood, he knew that celestial names were all too common in the family. He himself had been named in this manner, his first name coming from two of his ancestors and his middle name from his father. It was something that he didn't want to continue.

Sirius had easily agreed to the name Marlene wanted for their daughter, Charlotte Aurora. Even though Aurora could be associated with the heavens, it wasn't the name of a star or constellation, so he was fine with it.

Their next child, a son, had been fairly easy as well. Since she had picked out Charlotte's name, Marlene allowed Sirius to name their second child. Sirius had wanted something that sounded as little like a traditional Black family name as possible. Marlene gave him books full of names that she'd used to pick their daughter's name, and he pored over them daily once they found out they were having a boy. And so their son was named Brennon Michael, a name that Sirius knew his parents would think sounded very Muggle-like. They would hate it, and so he loved it.

When the time came to come up with a name for their third child, Sirius decided to let Marlene choose. She knew how he felt about his family and keeping himself distanced from their traditional names, so he was confident that she'd come up with something he could accept.

"Do you have any ideas for a name yet?" Sirius asked as they lay in bed one night, about two weeks after they found out they would be having another son.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Marlene replied. There was a moment's hesitation before she spoke again. "I don't think you're going to like it, though."

"Let's hear it, then."

"Well, I've always liked the name Andrew," she began. "What do you think of that for a first name?"

"Andrew Black. Yes, I like the sound of that," Sirius said after considering it. "Andrew it is, then. What about a middle name?"

Marlene sighed. "I want to name him after you somehow, so I thought...maybe...Orion."

Sirius sat up and stared down at her in the darkness. The years with Marlene had softened his anger and he'd learned to think before he spoke or acted. Pushing down his initial frustration at her choice, he contemplated why she would choose something she knew he would dislike.

Marlene sat up as well after a minute and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "I know what you're thinking," she said cautiously, "but if I can give you two good reasons why this name is better than you think, will you at least think it over?"

Sirius bit his lip, considering his options. He could hear her out and most likely be persuaded to accept this name for his son. Or he could refuse to listen and be upset with her, which would make her upset, which would make his life miserable. There really was only one choice.

"Alright, I'll listen," he said reluctantly.

Marlene released him and moved so she was facing him. "Ok, first reason. I know you probably think it would be the equivalent of naming him after your father and sticking to tradition, but it has nothing to do with that. He would be named after you, and you are most certainly not your father."

Sirius nodded, still not entirely convinced. "Alright, I suppose I see your point, but I still don't like it. Second reason?"

"I think this one will change your mind." She smiled, looking as though she was about to reveal some big secret. "What would your proud, pureblood parents think of such an important name being attached not only to a Muggle name, but their own grandchild as well, a child with impure blood?"

It took him several seconds to see the beauty of this idea, but when he did, he smiled broadly. "Alright, you win. Your evil genius knows no bounds. I can't believe I never thought of that myself."

On the day their second son was born, Marlene could've sworn Sirius laughed gleefully when he agreed with her choice and they officially named the child Andrew Orion Black.


	29. The Gift of Friendship

**Prompt:** (word) Holiday

* * *

 **The Gift of Friendship**

It was a tenuous alliance between Sirius and Marlene at first. They'd both stayed behind for the holiday, he because his family didn't celebrate Christmas, and she because her parents were visiting relatives in America and wouldn't have returned in time to get her back on the train to Hogwarts. They were the only two left in Gryffindor Tower, everyone else having gone home.

Marlene hadn't wanted anything to do with him to begin with. After all, this was the boy who made a game out of trying to make her so angry with him that she stormed off, even going so far as to place bets with his friends on how long it would take him to accomplish. She hated him for it. He was a despicable human being in her estimation, and wasn't worth her notice if he got pleasure from making her miserable.

She'd been sitting on the couch closest to the fire reading one evening when everything began to change. He sat on the opposite end of the couch and stared into the fire, seeming tense, nervous even.

She wanted to yell at him and tell him to find a different seat far away from her (really, the Slytherin common room wouldn't be far enough in her opinion). She bit back this initial reaction, however. They'd been alone for two days now, and he hadn't bothered her one bit. He must be lonely and simply want the presence of another person.

Marlene read on despite his nearness. She noticed him turning to her every once in a while, opening his mouth as if to speak, but closing it and turning back to his contemplation of the flames. They sat in this manner for several hours until Marlene started to find it difficult to keep her eyes open. Closing her book, she made her way up the stairs, vowing to put him out of her mind as she climbed into bed.

The next day, he met her at the bottom of the staircase and asked if she wanted to walk down to breakfast with him. Too shocked to think about it, she responded with a quick, "Yes." They walked mostly in silence to the Great Hall, Sirius occasionally asking her questions, like how well she'd slept or if she was enjoying her book. She replied with only one or two words, still puzzled by his sudden interest in her.

He kept up this banter during breakfast, appearing to be more at ease with her with each passing minute. She found she didn't really mind this. It was better than the silence of the past few days. She began to answer his questions in more detail and ask some of her own.

They went their separate ways after that, Marlene to her book, and Sirius to whatever it was that he got up to when his friends weren't around. This only lasted a couple of hours before he came back to the common room and asked if she'd mind a walk around the grounds, to which she readily agreed.

A thick blanket of snow covered the expansive grounds, much to Marlene's delight. She'd seen the snow falling the night before when she went to bed, but she hadn't paid any attention to it after that. Her survey of the winter landscape before her was interrupted by something hitting the back of her head. She turned to find Sirius grinning mischievously, a second snowball in his hand.

"Care for a little snow battle, McKinnon?"

Marlene, taken aback by his sudden playfulness, didn't answer immediately. First sitting with her in the common room, then talking her ear off at breakfast, now a snowball fight? She could hardly believe this was the same Sirius she'd always known. He'd changed for some reason and Marlene found herself liking this new side of him.

Shrugging, Marlene bent and expertly formed her own snowball. "Fine, but I'll warn you, snowball fighting is like a sport in my family. I'm quite practiced at it. My aim is deadly accurate."

Sirius's eyes lit up. "Perfect. I like a challenge. Let's see what you've go-" Marlene's shot hit him perfectly in the face, leaving him spluttering as she formed another snowball and took off running before he could retaliate.

They returned to the castle late in the afternoon, breathless and soaked through, having missed lunch entirely. Sirius raided the kitchen for hot cocoa and some sandwiches, which they shared while laughing over the afternoon's adventures and warming up by the fire.

The next day was Christmas. They met in the common room early in the morning and opened their gifts together. Marlene apologized for not getting Sirius a gift, even though he didn't get her anything either, but he just smiled and shook his head. "The fact that you even accepted my attempts at friendship over the last couple of days is a good enough gift to me. I was honestly just bored and lonely when I started trying to get you to talk to me, but the more we talked, the more I discovered I wanted to know about you."

Marlene smiled fondly at him. "I'm glad we had this chance, Sirius. Even if you were just so bored that I was the only option you had left." She shoved him playfully and giggled.

When their friends returned and life at Hogwarts went back to normal, Sirius and Marlene went their separate ways again. But they couldn't forget the bond they'd formed and soon, to the amazement of not only their friends but the entire school, their newfound friendship blossomed into something more. The man that Marlene had once vowed to despise as long as she lived became the man she couldn't live without.


	30. Letter War

**Prompt:** (object) Christmas Card

* * *

 **Letter War**

The best day of Sirius's life came just two months after he left Hogwarts, on the day he married Marlene. Knowing that his family wasn't there to ruin the day, nor would they ever have anything to do with him or his new bride, made it even better.

Still, he couldn't help but think that they would find some way to ruin his happiness. Even though he had no contact with them and hadn't told them about Marlene, Sirius knew his mother would find out. She made it her business to know everything about both her sons, disowned or not. He said nothing of his fears to Marlene. He didn't want to worry her with the idea of having to face his family's elitist views.

The first few weeks of their marriage passed happily and without a single word from his family. Sirius began to think that maybe he'd been wrong and they truly didn't care what he did now that he was disowned.

This hope didn't last long. The dreaded letter came just three weeks after the wedding, and his initial reaction was to throw it out without even so much as opening it. Marlene snatched it from him before he could do so, however, her curiosity at what the letter contained greater than his disdain for it.

Her face gave nothing away as she read the letter, which spanned three pages. She handed it to him, her hand shaking. "Read it," she said grimly.

Once he began, he wished he hadn't. The letter was partly a tirade against him and his actions and how he had brought shame on the name of Black. The majority of what his mother had to say concerned Marlene. Walburga had turned all of her rage against his wife, calling her every indecent name possible and accusing her of persuading Sirius to turn against his family.

He was aware of Marlene's eyes on him as he read. When he finally made it through the entire thing, he looked up at her. He had thought she was upset when she gave it to him, but now she was trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?" he asked, perplexed.

"Is that all she's got?" Marlene snickered. "I admit, I was insulted and hurt at first, but then I remembered what kind of person she is. I am impressed by her vocabulary though. By your description of her, I wouldn't have thought she knew so many vulgar names." She patted his arm and laughed at his surprise to her reaction. "Don't worry, I'll get her back for this one. She has no idea who she's just started a war with."

It was a few months later before Sirius discovered just what Marlene had in mind.

It was just two weeks before Christmas, their first together, when he saw her preparing to send out one last Christmas card. "I thought you'd sent them all already," he commented, pointing at the scarlet envelope.

She smiled slyly. "Oh, I almost forgot one." She sealed the envelope and patted it gently. "This is a special card, sent with every intention of insulting and disgusting the recipient."

Sirius's mouth twitched at the corners as he tried to keep a straight face. "Are you sending my parents a Christmas card?" he asked, intrigued by her plan to get back at the woman who'd so insulted them.

"Well of course," she replied innocently. "I'm sure they'll love to see how happy we are, and I know they'll be pleased to know they're going to be grandparents in a few months."

Sirius shook his head and laughed. He had been afraid that Marlene wouldn't be able to handle his family's hostility, but he could see now that she handled it even better than he did. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."


	31. The Nightmare Before Christmas

**Prompts:**

 **Christmas Collection Challenge:** (story title) The Nightmare Before Christmas

 **Gringotts Wizarding Prompt Bank: Once Upon A Time Dialogue Prompts:** "One thing I excel at is surviving."

* * *

 **The Nightmare Before Christmas**

Marlene stared down into the crib, the sleeping figure of her daughter barely visible in the dark. Knowing that she would be unable to sleep yet again, Marlene took a seat in the rocking chair close to the crib, wand held tightly in her hands. The uncertainty of her situation had her on edge. She felt that she couldn't be too cautious at this point.

Sirius had been missing for three days. He'd gone out with two other members of the Order to search for one of their own who was missing. They were attacked by Death Eaters, and Sirius was the only one who didn't come back. Edgar Bones, one of the two who had gone out with Sirius, said that they had all been separated, so he couldn't say for sure if Sirius was dead or alive.

Marlene had lived in a constant state of worry for the last three days. If he were alive, then why hadn't he come home? Was he in some sort of danger? Was he hurt? She wanted to believe that he was alright, but the longer he was gone, the more difficult that became. She felt like her worst nightmare had become reality.

A scratching noise made Marlene tense up. It was a still night. The chill December wind that they had endured for more than a week had finally let up now, just two days before Christmas. There was a slight pause before the noise started up again, more insistent this time. She had to investigate.

She crept silently from the room, wand held at the ready, listening for the source of the sound. It seemed to be coming from the back door. Marlene tiptoed down the stairs and through the house to the kitchen. Staying in the shadows next to the window as much as possible, Marlene tried to look out to see who might be there, but she didn't see anything.

 _I guess there's only one way to find out._ Standing behind the door, she turned the knob and pulled it slowly open, waiting for someone to walk through. No one did. Instead, a big black dog peeked its head around the door and looked at her. She nearly screamed before she realized this wasn't just any black dog. She choked back a sob as he wearily walked fully into the room.

By the time Marlene had closed and locked the door, Sirius had transformed into his usual self again. She nearly jumped into his outstretched arms. They held each other tightly, neither one saying anything for quite some time.

"I'm sorry, Marlene. I didn't mean to worry you," he whispered against her hair. "I couldn't make it back until now, I was afraid they'd follow me. I had to lie low for a couple of days to be sure I'd lost them."

Marlene blinked back tears as she looked up at him. There was no sense in crying. He was safe now, back home where he belonged. "I was afraid you were -" She swallowed past the lump in her throat, unable to finish her sentence.

Sirius smiled at her tenderly. "One thing I excel at is surviving." He reached up and brushed a stray hair from her face. "I have too much to live for, too much to protect, to let them get me so easily."

She kissed him lingeringly, enjoying the closeness of him after so many days spent living with the fear that she would never see him alive again. "I'm so thankful you made it back to us alive and in one piece. But you must be exhausted, you should get some rest. We can talk more in the morning." She released her grip on him, but grabbed his hand, not wanting to let go of him in case he disappeared again.

"I am tired. Tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a bath and clean clothes. But first, I want to see my daughter." Concern filled his eyes at the mention of the child sleeping in the room upstairs. "Was she alright? Without me here?"

Marlene squeezed his hand reassuringly. "She seemed a bit lost without you around," she admitted, "and she cried for you a few times, but she did fine." She finally let go of his hand and pushed him in the direction of the stairs. "Go see her, let her know you're home, and then get yourself cleaned up. I'll make you something to eat and then you're getting some rest."

Only when he was out of sight did she let her tears fall. She smiled tremulously, her heart and mind at ease in the knowledge that their little family was whole again. The nightmare was over.


End file.
